Turkey - It's Not Just For Thanksgiving

I had a turkey breast in the freezer that was supposed to be for a holiday meal, but purchased a whole turkey instead. I've never made only a turkey breast before - but for 2 people who usually like only the white meat, it makes sense. I was inspired by this recipe Provencal Turkey from Cooking Light, but made some changes. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes & corn & peas. I used up the leftovers by making hot turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup.

Provencal Turkey

1 (5-pound) whole turkey breast
1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence (I used 3 tbsp, some under the skin, some sprinkled on skin)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1 tsp sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used 1 tsp)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 4 cloves)
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used the oil liberally under the skin and all over the turkey)
12 garlic cloves, unpeeled (if you don't make the stock, you don't need to add these)
2 cups Roasted Turkey Stock (recipe in link above, I omitted)
3/4 cup dry white wine (I omitted, I did add fat free chicken broth to the roaster pan & basted)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, quartered, peeled and placed in turkey cavity

Preheat oven to 400°. (I roasted on 375 for 2-2 hrs 15 min.)
Loosen skin from breast by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine herbes de Provence, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and minced garlic in a small bowl. (I added some olive oil to this mixture) Rub seasoning mixture under loosened skin. Rub turkey with olive oil. Place 12 garlic cloves in a roasting pan; place turkey on cloves. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Let stand for 15 minutes. Discard turkey skin. Squeeze cloves to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Set aside.

Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings from pan into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner. Drain drippings into a bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. (I skipped this step and below)

Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat. Add pan drippings, Roasted Turkey Stock, white wine, and reserved garlic, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Cook 10 minutes or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve with turkey.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 4 ounces turkey and 3 tablespoons jus)